Methane concentrations have increased 150% since 1750, far exceeding natural range of the previous 650,000 years

NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies have found that that methane concentrations have increased 150% since 1750, far exceeding the natural range of the past 650,000 years. In line with these findings, Australian Climate scientist Paul Fraser has stated that a fifth of all greenhouse gas-induced global warming has been due to methane since pre-industrial times. This however may be seen as a conservative figure in light of new findings.

The figure below (from  NASA research feature “Methane: A Scientific Journey from Obscurity to Climate Super-Stardom”) shows the increases in methane over the past 1,000 years, as determined by historical methane concentrations in Antarctic ice cores and other sources. The significant rise in methane concentrations can be easily seen starting in the 18th century (coinciding with the industrial revolution(s)) and continuing up to the present day.

Source: Methane: A Scientific Journey from Obscurity to Climate Super-Stardom – NASA — Figure/Graph – NASA

Date: September 2004

Source: Potent methane is an overlooked greenhouse gas – Reuters

Date: 30 April 2007